Top Tours

Full-Day Phnom Penh Sightseeing Tour

"Meet up with your guide just outside your Phnom Penh hotel and hop in comfortable air-conditioned transportation bound for your first stop. Begin your tour at Cambodia’s Royal Palace which stands majestically in the city centre just off the riverfront area. Several buildings are open to visitors including the ‘Silver Pagoda’ whose floor is lined with solid silver tiles. Continue to the National Museum. Located in a fabulous old build the Museum is filled with art and artifacts dating back to the pre-Angkorian era. At the north end of the city is the hilltop pagoda of Wat Phnom for which the capital was named. Climb the stairs to the top of the hill for fabulous views of the city below.In the afternoon take a look into the country’s tragic recent history with a tour of Tuol Sleng Prison (S-21) and the Killing Fields at sobering reminders of the evils of the Khmer Rouge regime. Although not a joyful tour visiting these monuments unlocks keys to understanding the development of this still developing country. In between there is also time for a visit to the ‘Russian Market’. Test out your bargaining skills as you wander through the stalls filled with souve local handicrafts

Half-Day Tuol Sleng Museum and Cheung Ek Killing Fields

"Pick up from your Phnom Penh hotel by your guide and driver and transfer to the Toul Sleng Museum (Prison S21). During the Pol Pot regime Toul Sleng formerly a high school (Toul Svay Pre School) was converted to a detention center known as S21. After interrogation and often torture prisoners were transferred to ‘Killing Fields’ where they were often tortured again and brutally killed. Today the building houses exhibit paintings and photographs of many of the victims. Visitors can see the crude cells built in the classrooms and the located just outside the city center. It was a Chinese Cemetery before it became the Khmer Rouge’s best known Killing Field. The remains of almost 9000 bodies have been excavated from mass graves in this area. A memorial stupa has been erected and displays over 5000 human skulls

Regime of the Khmer Rouge and Highlights of Phnom Penh Tour

"On this day tour will take you to a trip to Cambodia’s bitter past. You will visit Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Also known as “S-21” the museum was once a school but was taken over by the Khmer Rouge and used as detention and torture center of the regime.Next leg is Choeung Ek or more popularly known in the West as the “Killing Fields”. Although both sites are symbols of brutality and oppression they will give you a better perspective of Cambodia’s history and appreciate more the beauty the country has to offer.We will then take you to visit Stung Meanchey. The neighborhood is where you will find Pour un Sourire d’Enfant or “For the smil but you can surely drop by the center’s souvenir shop to buy some mementos.The remainder of the day we shall spend scouring the lively markets of Phnom Penh. Drop by Central Market an art deco structure presumably the largest market in the whole country. You may also want to try the Russian Market that is famous for its stone and wood carvings. You can find a variety of merchandise in both markets ranging from clothes to souvenirs jewelry

Getting there and away Tips (61)

You can go Saigon to Phnom Penh by bus or via Chau Doc partly by boat (i think there are more companies doing this):http://www.mekongvietnam.com/MekongTours.aspx?ID_M=11&M_ID=BSV&lv=0&istour=0&PageIndex=1The same is possible for Phnom Penh to Siem Reap/Ankor (boat on Tonle Lake is sometimes breaking down and a bit more expensive than bus)

Airasia is Malaysian low cost airline with destination around Asia. If you booked your ticket far in advance you can fly cheap. We have been flying with this airline for quite sometimes now. We're always satisfied for what we pay, just do not expect a luxury on board. As a low cost airline you don't get meal or drinks, but you can buy anytime or bring your own food

Check in luggage is not included in ticket price but you're allowed to take a small hand carry for FREE a limit of 7 kilogram. Paying your checked luggage in advance online is cheaper than paying at the airport. You can purchase a checked luggage from 10 to 40 kilogram.

Most low cost airlines were very strict when it comes to checked luggage. Better purchasing too much than too little because during check-in at the airport if they see you're over one kilo you'll have to pay for it

We flown from Bangkok (Don Muang Airport) to Phnom Penh for (35 euros) it was a promotion. I check their price daily, probably I waited a month before I made the booking till the day when checking their fare between Bangkok and Phnom Penh I see the price goes down to 35 euro per person without luggage. With no hesitation I book the flight,

This is a bargain price, I book the flight eight months in advance. During the time of booking we're so lucky that there weren't changes in our itinerary

Travelling around Cambodia by public transportation is nice. However, everything is slow by getting there and away.

From Phnom Penh, we took an early minibus at 8 am first trip to Battambang. Our guesthouse arranged a ticket for us and she recommend us this company THERO EXPRESS. It was fine for us as long we get there on time

The trip to Battambang takes approximately 4 hour by this minibus. It takes longer by regular bus. Free pick up from the hotel, the driver dropped us on a depot office where the minibus depart

There are many passengers waiting for Battambang. Each own a piece of luggage, not all tourist but more local Cambodians

The minibus has a small trunk, they also placed some of the luggage inside while all seats are fully occupied. It was cramped and uncomfortable ride

We had a backseat where our seat number is located, that's what left during booking. The road from Phnom Penh to Battambang is horrible for the first 20 km (road constructions) unpaved and potholes complete disaster. So try to book your seat in the middle and not at the back

The minibus stopped twice, it was necessary so that you can stretch your legs. Is not a comfortable ride but is faster than bus. Booking your ticket in advance is highly recommended. The minibus has only 3 trips per day between Phnom Penh and Battambang, the trip is 4 hour approx. Ticket cost $10 each with free pick up

If you check the website of THERO EXPRESS, price of ticket cost only $9 but you must have to pay your own tuk tuk to get the depot office where the minibus departed. If you book to a guesthouse you pay a dollar more for free pick up

The minibus has no terminal, you can book your ticket to their office at "Pasteur" or go inside to any guesthouses, hotels or any tour agencies. They will able to help you with tickets

We flown with Air Asia from Bangkok (Don Muang), is only an hour fly. Phnom Penh Airport is small and modern terminal, efficient and clean. Equipped with shops, eateries, tourist information and banks with cash

The distance between the runway and the arrival hall exit is very short, if you are lucky no long queue at the immigration, but there is long queue when we arrived. It took about 45 min maybe more to cleared everything from the immigration

Next to the baggage claim area you find ATM's. These machine only dispense US currencies, it accepts visa, maestro, cirrus, mastercard and other kind of credit cards

When you exit the arrival hall, you'll immediately find a taxi stand and tuk-tuk stand. Phnom Penh International Airport Airport is located 8 kilometers west of the center. Transfer time to Phnom Penh city centre ranges between 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on traffic

Travelling around Cambodia by public transport is easy as long as you are on the right transportation.

I read a lot of information about buses in Cambodia and there are a few of them that aren't too good and not reliable.

There were buses company I don't like to take because it has a pretty bad reputation is called (Sorya and Rith Mony bus), luckily we can avoid it. Oh we do have to take Sorya just one time and we're lucky that the trip was only 30 minutes and it was a disaster. Read the next review of Sorya bus

Our guesthouse in Phnom Penh arrange a bus ticket for us to KEP, Kep is only about three hour from Phnom Penh. She recommend us "VIBOL BUS" which I never heard before nor no information about it. I have all names of bus company in Cambodia and VIBOL BUS wasn't in it. So I thought OK we'll try it

When I ask our land lady about this bus why I never heard about this bus or no reviews about Vibol bus, she said is a small company which is mostly carry tourist passengers and has only a few destination around Cambodia. So I was pretty anxious to try this bus

We book a ticket with Vibol bus from "Phnom Penh to Kep" ticket cost "$ 6" each, free pick - up from your hotel. A tuk tuk came to picked us and dropped us to the bus. They have only two trips a day from Phnom Penh to Kep- Kampot. The first trip is at "7:45 pm " and the second trip is at "1 pm". The bus depart on time. This bus terminates in Kampot but it stopped in Kep

Vibol bus has no terminal in Phom Penh, the tuktuk driver dropped us to a small shop where the bus waiting for passengers. The bus is not big there were only 33 seats. When booking the ticket you will get a seat reserved with number, so when you enter the bus look to the seat number above.

The trip between Phnom Penh and Kep is three hour and it stopped once for bathroom and also for snacks. This bus can only arranged in guesthouses or you can book through a tour agency. Prices are everywhere the same, we have been asking everywhere, we thought we could get cheaper, but it doesn't

From Happy GuestHouse, Siem Reap to the depot of the Giant Ibis Bus (national bird) was only a 10 minutes ride in a tuk-tuk. We were there at the appointed hour of 0800 hrs for our road trip to Phnom Penh.

You report your arrival at their office, they take your luggage and give you a receipt and then you wait. Soon the sleek, ultra comfort, air-conditioned, wi-fi linked, steel-grey bus slides in. It has the logo of the company on both sides and is quite masculine to look at. As a precaution, you watch your luggage being stowed into the hold and then you get on to the bus.

We had booked out tickets online almost 60 days in advance and had secured the choicest seats by paying extra. A large windscreen before us, ample leg room, the first to get off the bus and the last to get in and a large TV – all these facilities are there in Seat Nos. 1-D and 1-E, not the ones directly behind the driver. Those are 1-A and 1-B. Only you can’t put your leg up as there is the fridge inside the bus, basically for the drinking water bottles. There are only 41 seats in the bus. All seats are reclining except, perhaps, the last row. There are two seats each on either side of the aisle. You may book the return journey also online, if you so desire.

Once everybody had settled in, we started off at 0845 hrs.

Our guide then introduced himself and gave us a short introduction of their company and of the journey we were undertaking. After he stowed his microphone away, he distributed a croissant and a bottle of drinking water. Then he and the other driver kept up a constant chatter with the driver to prevent boredom of driving along an unending straight road and falling asleep at the wheel.

Our first stop was at 1000 hrs at a place called Brey. The second one was at 1200 hrs for lunch. Thereafter, the condition of the roads deteriorates. A third one was at Bantey at 1430 hrs for a quick cup of tea from where the road condition improves considerably. We arrived Phnom Penh at 16.45 hrs after a comfortable, relaxed journey of 8 hours.

The best part of the journey is not only the green fields rolling past your window, the muted music from the TV speakers once a movie is over and the convenient stop along the way but rather the wi-fi link. It was thrilling to communicate and to stay connected while on the move!

If you are travelling from Phnom Penh to Vietnam or vise versa then going by boat is a nice alternative to taking the bus which is what most people do.The boats travel from Phnom Penh to Chau Doc in Vietnam and it's a nice trip that takes four and a half hour including the time you will spend at the border for visa stamps and so on.The trip down the river is quite scenic and the service onboard the boat is good and they will usually give you some free food and drink while you are on the boat but I think this can vary depending on where you book the ticetk and with what company you travel.I have taken the Blue Cruiser 3 times in the past year and I have been very happy with the trip and with the services they provide.

So if you want to travel to and from Vietnam in a both interesting and fairly comfortable way then this is a really good alternative to the other modes of transport you have on that route.The boats usually leave around 1pm and arrive in late afternoon to the town of Chau Doc in Vietnam.

Taxi fare to city centre is $9. Most of the airport taxi are OK and friendly. It happened to me once I took a taxi in the afternoon at 4pm going to Olympic area. The driver was a young guy. I was with my wife going to Salita Hotel. My wife could not walk distant since she got osteoporosis. On the way to the hotel about 500 meters, the road was full of traffic at 5 pm and the driver persuade us just to walk to the hotel. We managed to reach hotel after 15 mins. I paid $9 to him because this is what has been agreed by the airport kiosk. He asked for a dollar which I refused. He said we were stingy and since my wife cannot walk why we are coming to Phnom Penh. This is the first experience taking a taxi after I have visited 50 countries.

I have lived in Phnom Penh for over two years now. I have been subjected to every single bus company in this country over this time.

All expatriates here agree that Mekong is by far and away the only service of an international standard, the price is roughly the same as the others.

Mekong will NOT do these things that ALL the rest will:

- Take your passport and then charge an extra $5 for "VIP service" (that is no different to working it out yourself) - Tourist visa is $20. I have seen 90% of unsuspecting tourists on an Angkor bus get scammed this way from Saigon.- play only Cambodian karaoke for the whole trip (it is the most appalling music in the world)- stop at every single slum around PP dropping off motos and other little delivery jobs they have picked up on the way, thereby pushing the travel time up by 1-3 hours- Have 'express' in the title when they regularly do the slum stops- be unable to speak English- not serve anything unless you insist loudly and in Khmer- drive unroadworthy buses- force handicap people off the bus to do the visa process

GO STRAIGHT TO THEIR OFFICE. THE VIETNAMESE WILL TELL YOU THEY ARE SELLING A SEAT ON MEKONG BUT THE CHANCES ARE THEY ARE CHARGING THE MEKONG PRICE AND GIVING YOU AN INFERIOR SERVICE AND POCKETING THE 1-2$

Several bus companies provide transportation from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. The Mekong Express Limousine Bus is one of the better ones. It is about a 6-hour trip including a 15-30 minute stop in Kompong Thom. Departure times are now 07:30, 08:30, 12:30 and 14:25 daily (the sign in the picture is slightly out of date). The office is at the corner of 102 Street and Sisowath Quay. The waiting room has a/c and there are bathrooms. The Fancy Guesthouse got my ticket for me for $12. The actual ticket was $11. Seat numbers are assigned. The fare includes a snack and a small bottle of water. There is a bathroom on the bus. This is a nice way to see the countryside.

This was my introduction to Cambodia. I get off the plane and enter a half bombed out terminal. I then go through the chaotic Visa process and leave the airport to the sounds of rocket fire going on from the shooting range in town. Then the moto drivers all approach you at once at which point I ran back into the airport and paid a guard to figure it out for me. The only service nearby was a little family run restaurant across the dusty street.

Times have changed. The Phnom Penh International Airport now has a brand new terminal. Itis Cambodia's largest international airport and most flights into the country pass through there. There are daily flights from all major regional airports (Bangkok, Hong Kong, Saigon, Singapore) as well as from Luang Prabang in Laos. Airlines include Bangkok Airways, Lao Aviation, Shanghai Airlines, Thai Airways, Silk Air, Dragon Air, among others. Malaysian low-cost carrier Air Asia has also started flying daily flights from Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, making Phnom Penh a cheap gateway into Cambodia.

Visas are available on arrival, and the fee is $20 - which must be paid in USD. Bring a passport-sized photo to avoid an additional $1 charge. The airport has a post office, bank (including one of the country's few ATMs), restaurants, Duty Free shop, news stand, tourist help desk, Business Center, as well as a Dairy Queen, the only western fast food franchise in the country.

Taxis from the airport run about $7 US. For visitors on a budget without a lot of luggage, it's worth catching an official moto for $2, or walking out to the main road to save even more.

Things to Do Near Phnom Penh

Tuol Sleng Museum

Tuol Sleng Museum, the complex used a secondary school until in 1975. Then the complex was occupied by the Khmer Rouge and used as a prison. The prison, known as S-21 eventually became the place where...

Foreign Correspondents Club

The FCC is housed in a three story French colonial building. It faces onto the Tonle Sap River near its confluence with the Mekong.
The FCC dates from the 1990s and was once a hotbed of journalistic...